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ODE ON OEAXH 



PS 3527 

.095 04 

1 1907 

Life is the beginning — Death the ending here of all. Copy * 

By life we enter on the stage of being — Death is the call — 

The call — to appear before another audience — in another form. 

Across the river Styx — to the future tlie soul is borne ; 

But before the crossing the tribunal must be passed. 

Here the soul is judged by a code high, and the die cast, 

Whereby the soul is conveyed in a ferry car — beautiful in design — 

Wafted by gentle breezes — perfumes are in the air — fine — 

Fine and grand the music that doth fill the air — 

Music by the heavenly choir, and all about the soul is most fair. 



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The tempest of life is o'er. 

And on towards the celestial shore 

The Great Captain doth the bark guide, 

And o'er the sparkling waters so free doth glide. 

The soul is wafted on — on to its victory — 

Its victory over death — foretold at creation's morn so free — 

Victory over flesh, sin and the world — 

Over the power of Satan so strong — his power hurled — . 

Hurled back upon the shores of the world to stay. 

At the border of the beautiful river he is struck with dismay, 

It is the border land between Egypt so dark, 

And the land of Canaan — the heavenly park — 

Where thn soul shall forever rest, 

Where it shall enjoy peace — crowned with the crest — 

The crest that doth from its forehead shine 

With its diamond jiys — joys so fine — 

The diamond joys that by the soul were so scattered in life 

Whereby came joy and not woe in the world of strife. 

A new life and part is given to the soul to act — 

A new strength is imparted — and light to refract — 

To refract the rays from the mountain of peace, 

Whereby shall reign the joys that shall never cease. 

While in the word the soul did read the poets so grand — 

Did read the Prophets and listen to the preachers who did stand — 

Before the people and proclaim the duties of life — 

The duties of all — children, husband and wife. 

Every day while in the world the soul did see 

Enacted a drama tiiat did foreshadow all that was to be. 

In the early hour — in the " rosy fingered morn" he saw the beginning of life- 

At noon, when the sun is high and warm, he saw and mingled with the strife- 

The strife that led on the evening gloom 

When the sun had departed and the night foreshadowed the tomb. 

But the stars and the moon came out, 

And a guiding hand and a joyous shout 

Did proclaim a new day — a new birth — 

The advent of a new soul to partake of the experience of the earth. 

And thus the sound — a sound of beauty — 

A sound that doth fill the soul with the charge of duty. 

The duties of life are more than life — 

Duty and not booty is the bugle call to strife. 

Duty is with us everywhere — 

It rises with us in the early morning air — 

It is by us the whole day long — 

It charges us to be up and doing — to ever contend against wrong. 



It is by our pillow at night 

When the soul — like the Norsemen of old doth prepare for the next day's fight. 

In the roar of the city — the roar of the mart, 

The roar of the engine — the roar of the cart. 

In the roar of the desert so drear 

In which ther« is little that doth the heart cheer. ^^ 2)^ 

Duty is with us always by day or night — | «/ 

Exacting as necessity — inflexible as fate — /^^ f- | 

Inspiring all with love — none with hate. -y-^i *• 

Life is a drama where each must act well his part ; , q 

Where from the conscious young — when upon life's journey they start — ^ [ I 

To hoary age, when from the abode here, we depart 

Upon life's journey grand — of which the prophets of old 

Taught and wrote — and left to the world in the book of gold 

The lessons, too, do teach the soul the story— 

The story of life — birth — youth and mature old age so hoary. 

Where each must with life's duty be in accord — 

With the life and the law. On together marching in Indian file, on white 

man's line 
Onward the march of life that shall with duty chime. 
Each must his own cross bear — 
No Simon shall his burden bear. 
Manfully let each -the burdens of life carry — 

Plod on — and on through sun, wind and rain — and never tarry — 

Never tarry by the enticing scene — 

Never towards the path of error lean — 

Rut onward go with a fixed purpose — a purpose grand 

To finally reach the boi-der land — 

The border land to that happy beyond so fair 

Where angels and archangels shall come to greet you and your soul bear — 

Bear on the happy land — the land of great delight. 

Where the saints of all ages dwell in the beautiful light — 

That doth from the Rock of Ages shine— 

From whence the silver bells of the mount do chime — 

The glorious PisKah's peak all aglow — 

With the light that o'er the vale doth shine — where the majestic river doth 

flow 
The river so typical of life — 
So typical of the monotonous strife — 
Yet typical of the grandeur too — 
Typical of the life's work to do — 
Typical of the beauty ■ — the beauty in its line so fair, 
That doth the artist and poet inspire — beauty so/are. 
All — all imparting to the weary j)ilgrims of earth, 
The knowledge so essential and of so much worth — 
Worth to all — to rich, to poor — to high and to low — 
To all who doth labor and study to know — 
To know all that man can of the great Unknown — 
Tliat shall entice all towards the pleasant fields, there to roam 
Like the cattle ufion the thousand hills — 
Like the gentle vales that fills 

The heart with joy — like the oasis in the desert so bare, 
Where the weary pilgrims doth at the enchanting mirage stare — 
The mirage so fair — and yet so full of deceit — 
Deceit that is with suffering and misery complete. 

The Scottish rite ode, or hymn on death 
Is fine and soothing to the poor soul here left 
To fight its way against the powers and principalities strong — 
Against the enticing charm and call so full of wrong. 

Gift 



ORB 

" The buried wheat must seem to die — 
Long buried in the earth must lie, 
Before the new shoot seeks the air — 
The new stalk can the new grain bear. 

Within its close and silent cell, 

The dead worm must in darkness dwell — 

Before the moth new born can be 

The type of immortality. 

So this poor body formed of dust 
To earth's cold bosom we entrust — 
Nor idly grieve nor weep in vain — 
Since all the dead shall live again. 

Ashes to ashes — earth to earth 

Dust to dust — but death is birth — 

Birth to a higher, better life — 

From earth's poor hour of care and strife." 

Yes, here doth end the strife — 
The strife that doth gain a new life. 
No awaking here — no bugle call hei'e — 
Shall the body raise. The tattoo none shall fear. 
To the cheerful reveille it doth look forth 
To the call heard from the sunny south to the frozen north — 
From the horizon on the east where the morning sun doth illumine the sky- 
To the golden west where the same sun doth in beauty lie, 
Departing fill the heavens with glory and beauty — 

A glory and beauty that doth ever preach to the world the power of duty. 
So onward through life we go — 
On — on ever on, some fast, some slow. 
Some reach the goal in early years — 
Some in joy — some full of tears. 
Some on to middle life go — 
Some are buried in sunshine — some in snow. 
Some go down to the sea in ships — 

Some where the monsters of the sea in their pleasure skips. 
So live that when thy summons shall come 
To join the great caravan journeying toward the setting sun, 
Go thou with joy to the tomb — 
The tomb shall he to you a great boom. 
As to monument grand or small. 

It matters not — for all must before the scythe of time fall. 
Some of the greatest benefactors the world ever saw. 
Lie buried in unknown graves — mankind forebore 
To honor them in life, or with a mere headstone — 
Or honor the hero who defends their home. 
In the kind bosom of earth they lie 
Now shame over the world doth come, and all vie — 
Vie one with the other justice to do — 
So a monument, most fair and true 
Is erected to honor the heroic life — 
The life that in the grand and awful strife. 
Did labor for man — to oppose and to destroy 
The power of the vile hierarchy that with humanity did coy. 
In religions fair name what monstrous crimes 
Have filled the earth with woe. Oh the times — 



The times of misery and want — of hypocrisy and woe 018 348 31 

That has in the name of religion walked the world to and fro — 

Wearing the mask of beauty and gold — 

Whereby to entice the weak — 

His gorgeous salon to seek. 

What a pity that to the world doth not come — 

Some better spirit — a chosen one or anointed one 

Who shall from Mephistopheles his mask tear, 

And expose him to the noon day glare — 

To the glare of all, to his dupes as well as to his foes — 

And his power and wiles expose — 

Push him to the wall — push him into the sea — 

Down, down to Davy Jones' locker — there ever to stay — 

And never more come on deck and see the light of day. 

But the light is passing — the days of brightness are almost here. 

Long were they on the way ; but ever have the true priests given good cheer — 

Good cheer to all. Peace and good will 

The grand old prophets of Israel did instill — 

Into the minds of men, and then with goodness fill. 

Ages it took tor the good seed to grow — 

The Moloch power of the world did tares sow, 

And did thereby fill the world with woe. 

But the streak of light is in the east — the cock doth crow, 

A harbinger of light — and victory doth fill the air — 

A light that o'er the land water doth shine, and dispel gloom and despair. 

The voice of mercy is the voice of love — 

Down to earth it doth descend like a dove — 

Upon the portals of the tomb it doth shine, 

It opens a new day that doth with humanity and love chime. 

Death doth not end all — it is the open door 

A door that shall upon the soul close no more. 

The soul is free 

Such is the Divine decree. 

Through the gates of pleasure and pain 

Man doth enter the world — not for loss but for gain. 

Thus Socrates taught and Plato sung — 

Thus through all the ages the good sound hath run. 

Death doth not end all — 

By death doth come a glory call — 

A call that doth cheer the weary pilgrim 

On his way to march, where no more he shall come in contact with sin — 

From sin and sorrow free — what an announcement to all — 

To all worthy of the invitation — to all who have heard the call — 

The call of the Great Jehovah that hath made Mephistopheles so sore. 

When the time of our departure is at hand — 

To make way for our children upon the theatre of life — life so grand — 

May God speed them and theirs — 

May God ever hear their devout prayers — 

Thus was the noble Story's song 

So full of beauty — a shield against wrong — 

To inculcate the duty of the hour. 

When the soul shall come to the celestial tower. 

To the grave all doth come — 

Towards this goal all doth run. 

Lord ever dear — ever keep us free — 

Ever hear our solemn litany. 

ISAAC P. NOYES. 
May 10, 1907. 



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